The Fraternity's senior leadership assembled in the conference room, each taking their customary positions around the long table. Smith stood at the head, his presence commanding immediate attention.
"A letter arrived at headquarters tonight," he began, his voice carrying easily through the space. "According to the intelligence, the Hand is mobilizing for a large-scale incursion into New York."
He paused, letting the information settle before continuing. "I believe the contents are accurate. More importantly, the claim is easily verifiable."
The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. Expressions hardened, and several members leaned forward, their body language reflecting the gravity of the situation.
Cross spoke first, his weathered face set in grim determination. "The Hand has committed atrocities for centuries. They've been on our target list for years. If they're foolish enough to come here, we'll make certain they never leave."
Mr. X stroked his chin thoughtfully. "They likely assume we suffered significant casualties destroying the High Table. A large-scale deployment would make sense if they believe we're weakened and vulnerable."
He tapped his finger against the table. "But what's their actual objective? The Hand doesn't mobilize without purpose."
The question prompted murmurs of speculation around the table. Smith allowed the discussion to develop for a moment before raising his hand for silence.
"I suspect they're after the Dragon Balls."
Wesley's brow furrowed in confusion. "Didn't those fly away? We all saw them disappear."
The comment drew nods from several others. They'd witnessed the Dragon Balls' departure firsthand, seven golden spheres that had streaked into the sky and vanished beyond sight in seconds. Even if someone wanted to pursue them, tracking would be impossible.
When they'd questioned John Wick about how he'd managed to gather so many of the spheres, he'd been surprisingly candid: the leader had guided him to each location.
Fox leaned back in her chair. "The Hand doesn't know the Dragon Balls are gone. As far as the global criminal underworld is concerned, John Wick still possesses two of them. That information was broadcast through the Continental Hotel's bounty system to every registered assassin on the planet."
Understanding rippled through the room. The hunting order had gone worldwide. Every killer with access to the network had seen the notice, which meant the Hand's leadership certainly had as well.
Smith's expression shifted, becoming harder and more focused. "When I took leadership of the Fraternity, you presented me with a list of targets, organizations that had committed enough evil to warrant complete destruction. You asked me to choose one as a test of my capabilities."
His gaze swept across each face in turn. "I told you I wouldn't choose. I'd eliminate them all. We've dealt with the Russians and the High Table. The Hand is next on that list. Conveniently, they're delivering themselves directly to us."
No one voiced objection. The original challenge had been meant to gauge Smith's ambition and ability. He'd exceeded both expectations by orders of magnitude.
"What are your assessments of the Hand?" Smith asked, opening the floor.
The Gunsmith spoke immediately, his tactical mind already working through scenarios. "Cut off the head, and the body dies. The Hand's power structure centers on the Five Fingers, Alexandra, Madame Gao, Bakuto, Sowande, and Murakami. Eliminate them, and the rest of the organization collapses. Without leadership, they're just scattered operatives with no unified direction."
Fox nodded. "I'll have the intelligence division prioritize locating the Five Fingers. We need current positions and movement patterns as soon as possible."
The Repairman shifted in his seat, his expression thoughtful. "I spend considerable time reviewing our historical archives, old mission reports, intelligence assessments, strategic analyses. I came across files detailing previous engagements with the Hand."
He paused for emphasis. "One of our former leaders scored a confirmed headshot on one of the Five Fingers. Clean kill, documented with photographs."
"Yet within months, that same target reappeared, alive and operational."
John Wick straightened. "Dragon Balls?"
Smith shook his head. "No. The Repairman's information is accurate. The Five Fingers are difficult to kill permanently, but they're not truly immortal."
The Exterminator cracked his knuckles, a dangerous smile crossing his face. "If bullets don't work, I'll use explosives. Vaporize them completely, leave nothing to resurrect. I'd like to see them come back from molecular dispersion."
Several members nodded in agreement. The logic was sound: if conventional methods failed, escalate until success was achieved. Even if the Hand possessed resurrection capabilities, they had to pay some cost for each use. Repeated eliminations would drain their resources eventually.
Smith raised a hand, drawing attention back to himself. "The Five Fingers can indeed be resurrected, but they're not without vulnerabilities. When the time comes, I'll handle them personally."
He turned to face John Wick directly. "We eliminate the tigers, but we can't ignore the mosquitoes. What's your assessment, John?"
John Wick set down the Hand intelligence report he'd been reviewing. "I have a proposal."
"Everyone here knows my background; I was a registered assassin with the Continental Hotel for years. The Hotel is now our asset, undergoing transformation, but we still have contact information for thousands of active assassins who were part of that network."
He leaned forward, warming to his subject. "Our organization exists to punish evil and protect the innocent. But there are thousands of killers operating globally who'll continue taking contracts regardless of our mission. Small dark web platforms will expand to fill the void left by the High Table's destruction. We can't hunt down every single assassin, there are too many, and frankly, many of them are just trying to survive in the only trade they know."
"So why not leverage this situation? Use the Hand as an opportunity for these assassins to contribute something meaningful. Let them help eliminate Hand operatives."
Several faces around the table registered skepticism. Others showed cautious interest.
Wesley voiced the practical concern everyone was thinking. "What do we offer in exchange? Asking people to work for free guarantees minimal effort at best. And reopening the Continental Hotel's bounty system directly contradicts the Fraternity's core principles."
John Wick nodded, acknowledging the validity of the objection. Wesley had identified the central problem: motivation. No professional would engage in dangerous work without compensation, and restoring the Continental Hotel's assassination marketplace would undermine everything the Fraternity stood for.
Smith drummed his fingers against the table, the rhythmic tapping the only sound in the suddenly quiet room. His mind worked through possibilities, weighing options against the organization's goals.
Finally, he spoke. "The existence of a registered assassin network does present opportunities. Directing them against Hand operatives would reduce overall criminal activity, a net positive for our mission."
"As for the Continental Hotel and similar platforms, Wesley's right. We can't simply reopen them as assassination exchanges. But we can adapt the concept, take what works and discard what doesn't."
He looked to Fox. "You and I have been discussing how to generate sustainable revenue streams for the organization. One promising option is commercializing the wax bath treatment. We've developed superior medical technology with the healing chambers, so releasing the older wax bath systems won't compromise our operational advantage. We just need to maintain proper security protocols."
Understanding began dawning on several faces.
Smith continued, building on the concept. "The Continental Hotel locations scattered across the globe provide perfect venues for offering wax bath services. Their neutrality policies and hospitality infrastructure are excellent, we keep those elements and simply shut down the bounty system."
"The gold coins currently in circulation will be invalidated completely. We'll mint new currency bearing the Fraternity's symbol. The Continental Hotels will be rebranded as Assassin's Brotherhood facilities, serving as neutral ground where wax bath treatments are available."
He straightened, his voice taking on a more commanding tone. "Here's how we leverage the assassin network: we send a message to every registered member explaining the genuine medical benefits of wax bath treatment. Each confirmed kill of a Hand operative earns one gold coin. Those coins can be redeemed for wax bath sessions."
"Price point: one gold coin plus one hundred thousand dollars per treatment."
The room erupted in quiet excitement. Eyes lit up as the implications became clear, this approach weaponized greed and self-interest against the Hand while simultaneously establishing a legitimate business operation.
Fox, who managed the Fraternity's finances and understood the Continental Hotel's economic model intimately, raised a practical question. "How do we distribute gold coins after the Hand is eliminated? The Continental Hotel's previous system relied on posted bounties to regulate currency flow."
Smith had clearly anticipated this. "We're not offering assassination contracts, but we can traffic in information. Intelligence gathering becomes our primary product."
"We post specific intelligence requirements with associated gold coin bounties. For example, if someone provides verified information about a criminal's location or activities, we investigate and confirm accuracy. Once verified, Fraternity members eliminate the target, and the information provider receives their gold coin reward."
"This transforms the system from facilitating murder-for-hire to enabling justice. The gold coins become compensation for helping identify evil rather than for committing violence."
He glanced around the table, reading expressions. "I believe the combination of wax bath efficacy and guaranteed neutral territory will attract substantial interest. The medical benefits alone are worth the cost, accelerated healing from injuries that would normally require months of recovery, treatment for conditions that conventional medicine can't address effectively."
"Assassins live dangerous lives. Access to advanced medical care in a secure environment? That's valuable enough to make them consider working with us rather than against us."
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